Chickens were meant to live outside all the time, not in sheds, and most certainly not with lip-service “access to the outdoors.” At Pasturebird farm, the chickens spend 100% of their lives outside, and are moved to fresh pasture every single day so they always have new grasses, bugs, and worms to peck, and locally milled feed when they want it. Pastured chickens are happier, and are able to contribute to soil health with nutrient-rich chicken manure (thanks, guys!), restoring their role as an important part of a functioning ecosystem.

And pastured chicken tastes way, way better, too -- if you haven’t tried it yet, you’ll notice the difference immediately, and you'll never go back to commodity chicken. Pasture-raised chicken is chicken as it was meant to be, or rather, as it was a century ago. At Pasturebird farm, the birds are higher in Vitamin A, D, E, Omega-3, and lower in fat than “free range” or “organic” chickens. And they’ve never been given any vaccines, antibiotics, drugs, or hormones, so the bones are great for nutrient-dense chicken stock (don’t throw them away!). We can't wait for you to try Pasturebird farm's chicken.

In 2012, Paul Greive and his family were fed up. They knew they needed to fix their health and heal their bodies from arthritis, excess fat, and allergies. In order to do that, they would need food they could trust completely, but finding it was no small task -- labels at the grocery store had become confusing beyond comprehension. "Cage free" meant little. "Free range" meant even less. They were at a loss. So... they bought 50 chicks.

With those 50 chicks, they started the aptly-named Pasturebird farm. From the start, Paul and the entire family knew they wanted to raise chickens exactly the way they were meant to live: outside, on grass, with sunshine and room to forage, and on locally-milled feed.

What they didn't know was just how many other people would get behind this thinking, too. By the time they harvested their first batch of pastured chickens, all 50 had been reserved, and a waiting list of 110 more families had appeared seemingly out of thin air. Apparently, there was a big demand for humanely raised, 100% outdoor chickens; the real-food community in Southern California totally embraced the farm. The rest, as they say, is history; and the intervening years have been spent refining and perfecting their passion: regenerative agriculture.

Since we launched Crowd Cow just over 2 years ago, we’ve been committed to connecting our members with ranchers producing some of the best beef in the world, and making it as convenient as possible to support them. You've told us from the start that you want us to apply those same values of transparency and convenience to other meats, too. So that’s why today we’re excited to offer pasture-raised chicken from independent farmers committed to our mission.

Q: What does it mean that my chicken is "butterflied"? All that means is that the chicken has been split down the spine. Also known as "spatchcocked," butterflied chickens are great because they lie flat, and thus are easier to store and will cook more evenly. Even if you choose to cut away the spine, don't throw it away! It makes a great base for jus or nutrient-rich chicken stock.

Q: Will my chicken arrive frozen? Yes indeed!

Q: How much freezer space will I need for my chickens? Butterflied chickens take up a bit less space than their non-split counterparts, because they lie much flatter. You'll need approximately the following freezer space by volume:

For the 5-pack: 0.75 cubic ft

For the 3-pack: 0.45 cubic ft

Q: Are neck, gizzards, or other parts included? Neck, livers, gizzards, and feet are not included.

Q: How do I cook a butterflied chicken? Not to worry, it's quite simple. We've got a couple recipes to get you started, like this Oven-Roasted Butterflied Chicken Au Jus recipe. Or if you're grilling, give the Smoky Paprika-Grilled Butterflied Chicken recipe a try. Enjoy!